We wrote a quick guide for US folks, combined by Lebanese activists, protesters, and revolutionaries (cc @aemasri). Contains info on protest safety, tear gas, + other hacks.

From #Lebanon to #Minneapolis, solidarity everywhere

Thread below, and guide: https://github.com/frombeirutwithlove/ProtestTips/blob/master/WhatToDo.md

What to keep in your bag:
- Bandana / mask cloth
- Bottle of cider vinegar
- Tight-fitting swim goggles/tight ski goggles
- Cut onions to inhale if teargas gets on your face
- Soda: Drinking soda usually helps instead of water b/c it’s acidic. You can also wash your face w/ it

What to keep in your bag:
- A dry change of clothes inside a plastic bag in your bag, so you can change in case you get wet.
- Wear helmets (especially if you have a medical condition).
- Portable battery for your phone.

Other tips:
- Write a lawyer’s phone number on your arm with a marker and YELL OUT YOUR NAME, in case you’re arrested. This worked well in #Lebanon to keep track of who was getting taken.
- Decide on an exit strategy/meet up point with your group in case you get separated.

- Once tear gas is used, get upwind or find higher ground. Drinking or washing your face with water after you get exposed to teargas will exacerbate the stinging symptoms, not alleviate them. Do not rub your face. If you are wearing contact lenses, remove them immediately.

When you get home:
- Get out of all your clothes and wash them separately in cold water.
- Take a shower, making sure you let cold water wash over your eyes until the stinging is gone, soap and cold water should get rid of the chemicals from your skin.

A lot more to cover, so check the rest here: https://github.com/frombeirutwithlove/ProtestTips/blob/master/WhatToDo.md
Shoutout to @geminiimatt for contributions, and to @jasonli for Hong Kong tips recycled here.

Guide updated. More:
- If pepper sprayed, you can also use Maalox+water mix and saline water. Milk can help w/ burning skin. If you use it in your eyes, wash out w/ water or Maalox mix right after.
- Avoid exposed skin. Wear goggles, long sleeve shirts, long pants, strong shoes

- Wash eyes from inside corner out - otherwise you will be washing chemicals into your eye. Tilt head sideways and wash from the corner out - not into the corner.
- Avoid wearing lotion or oils on your skin. Pepper spray and tear gas stick to it and burn.

If you are arrested and the police ask for a DNA swab, you have the right to refuse. If you are offered a drink, cigarette or gum in the precinct, it is most likely a trick to steal your DNA. This has been a practice in NY specifically, and probably elsewhere as well.

If police ask to see your phone, say you do not consent to a search. They might still seize it and search it later w/ a warrant, but you can be clear you didn't give permission.
If they ask for password to unlock (or ask you to), you have the right to refuse and ask for lawyer.